By Imaam Muhammad Naasir-ud-Deen Al-Albaanee. [Died 1419H] Translated by abu maryam isma eel alarcon

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3 The Night Prayer in Ramadaan By Imaam Muhammad Naasir-ud-Deen Al-Albaanee [Died 1419H] Translated by abu maryam isma eel alarcon

4 Copyright Al-Ibaanah Book Publishing, USA Published On-Line for Free Distribution First Edition: September 2003 Note: This document is an on-line book publication of This book was formatted and designed specifically for being placed free on the Internet. Al- Ibaanah Book Publishing allows for this document, in its present form and with no alterations, to be distributed, printed, photocopied, reproduced and/or disbursed by electronic means for the purpose of spreading its content and not for the purpose of gaining a profit, unless a specific request is sent to the publishers and permission is granted. Anyone wishing to quote from this document must give credit to the publisher. About the Book: All praise be to Allaah, before you is a complete translation of the booklet Qiyaamu Ramadaan (The Night Prayer in Ramadaan) of Imaam Muhammad Naasir-ud-Deen Al-Albaanee, may Allaah have mercy on him. The source used for this translation was the seventh edition of this book published by Dar Ibn Hazm in This shows the tremendous benefit of this book and the great effect it had on the Muslim ummah, such that it underwent several printings and was spread throughout the Muslim lands. The treatise was revised and updated after its initial printing. Thus the second edition contains more updated information and reference, and all subsequent editions maintained the same format as the second edition. The book s introduction consists of a counter-refutation of those who replied to Al- Albaanee s book Salaat at-taraaweeh, namely Shaikh Abdullaah Al-Ansaaree. But the main core of the book contains a point-by-point discussion on the Night Prayer during Ramadaan, as well as the benefits and rulings of Itikaaf. This books serves as an abridgement to Imam Al-Albaanee s larger treatise Salaat at-taraaweeh. A Publication of 2

5 INTRODUCTION TO THE SECOND EDITION All praise be to Allaah, and may the peace and blessings be on the Messenger of Allaah, his family, his Companions and whoever follows his Sunnah. To Proceed: This is the second printing of my treatise The Night Prayer in Ramadaan, which I am presenting to the noble reader on this occasion of the nearness of the blessed month of Ramadaan of 1406H. After all the copies of the first printing ran out, and the requests for the book became many, I took another look at the treatise and revised and improved it, adding several hadeeth verifications and new points of benefit to it, which I hope will please the readers, Allaah willing. The reader will find the most important of these changes in the section on Itikaaf. I ask Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, to connect me to what is right and to forgive me for what my understanding missed from correctness and from what truth escaped my pen. I ask Allaah that He make this book sincerely for His Face, indeed He is the All- Pardoning, Most Generous. Ammaan (Jordan) Sha baan 7, 1406H Written by Muhammad Naasir-ud-Deen Al-Albaanee 3

6 INTRODUCTION TO THE FIRST EDITION Verily, all praise is due to Allaah. We praise Him, we seek His assistance and we ask Him for His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allaah from the evils of our selves and the evils of our actions. Whoever Allaah guides, no one that can lead him astray, and whoever is led astray, no one can guide him. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship in truth except Allaah He stands alone and with no partners. And I bear witness that Muhammad (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) is His slave and Messenger. To Proceed: It is authentically reported on Ibn Mas ood (radyallaahu anhu) in mawqoof form, 1 but it takes the ruling of being marfoo (raised) 2 to the Prophet, that he said: How will you be when a calamity (i.e. innovation) engulfs you (in which) the adult will grow old (with it) and the youth will be raised upon it, and the people will take it as a Sunnah. When any part of it is abandoned, it will be said: Have you abandoned the Sunnah? They said: When will that be? He said: (It will be) When your scholars have passed away, your reciters have increased, your Fuqahaa have become few, your leaders become many, your trusted ones decrease, the worldly life is sought after by (doing) the works of the Hereafter, and knowledge is sought for other than the Religion. 3 I say: This hadeeth is one of the signs of his (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) Prophethood and the verity of his Messengership, for indeed every one of its portions has become actualized in this present time. From them, is the various innovations that have spread and the people being tested by them, such that they have taken them as a Sunnah and (part of the) Religion to be followed. So when the real Ahlus-Sunnah turn away from them towards the Sunnah, which is authentically established on the 1 Translator s Note: A Mawqoof Hadeeth is a narration suspended or stopped to just being a saying or action of a Companion, and not that of the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam). 2 Translator s Note: A Marfoo Hadeeth is a hadeeth reported by a Companion but raised as being a saying or action of the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam). 3 Reported by Ad-Daarimee (1/64) with two chains of narration, the first of which is authentic while the second is hasan. It is also reported by Al-Haakim (4/514) and others. 4

7 Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam), it will be said: Has the Sunnah been abandoned? This is what has befallen us Ahlus-Sunnah in Shaam, when we revived the Sunnah of performing the Taraaweeh Prayer with eleven rak aat, while persevering in them upon tranquility and submissiveness and using the various authentic words of remembrance (adhkaar), according to one s ability. This is something, which a majority of those who regularly perform the Taraaweeh Prayer with twenty rak aat have left off. And on top of this, their fury and rage became kindled and unleashed when we produced our treatise Salaat-ut-Taraaweeh, 4 which is the second of several treatises found in our book Tasdeed-ul-Isaabah ilaa man za ama Nusrat-al-Khulafaa ir- Raashideen was-sahaabah. This was due to what they saw in it from the assertion that: 1. The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) did not perform the Taraaweeh Prayer with more than eleven rak aat. 2. Umar (radyallaahu anhu) ordered Ubay (bin Ka ab) and Tameem ad-daaree to lead the people in Taraaweeh Prayer performing eleven rak aat according to the authentic Sunnah. 3. The report: The people would perform the Night Prayer during the time of Umar in Ramadaan making twenty rak aat is a shaadh 5 and da eef report, which contradicts the report of reliable narrators, who state that it was eleven rak aat and that Umar commanded this. 4. Even if this shaadh report was authentic, it is more deserving to accept and act upon the authentic report due to it being in accordance with the Sunnah in number. Also, there is no mention in it that Umar ordered that twenty rak aat be performed, but 4 Our brother Zuhair Shawaish printed a second edition to this book in the year 1405H retyping the original text, but he did not give me the draft copy so that I can take charge of making corrections for myself due to the difficulty of communication between Beirut and Ammaan. So there occurred a few printing errors, some of which were in accordance with the first edition, such as in page 32 of the second edition and page 37 of the first edition: Such as the one for example who prays five rak aat for Dhuhr and four rak aat for the sunnah of Fajr. The correct version should read: Such as the one for example who prays five rak aat for the sunnah of Dhuhr. The proof for this is the following phrase: and four rak aat for the sunnah of Fajr indicating that what was meant was the recommended prayers. Some innovators used this printing error for their own evil ends and built towers and castles upon it in their treatises, however they are on the edge of a dangerous cliff. 5 Translator s Note: A Shaadh Hadeeth is a hadeeth reported by a reliable narrator but which is contradicted by another hadeeth that is more reliable than it. 5

8 rather it is only the people who did that. This is contrary to the authentic report, which states in it that Umar ordered eleven rak aat. 5. Also, if it were authentic this does not mean that one is obligated to act upon it whilst abandoning acting upon the authentic report, which is in agreement with the Sunnah, such that the one who acts upon the Sunnah is considered as leaving the Jama aah! On the contrary, the most we can derive and extract from this hadeeth is that it is permissible to pray twenty rak aat (for Taraaweeh) yet it is definitive that what the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) did and practiced regularly (of 11 rak aat) is better. 6. We also explained in it that performing twenty rak aat is not authentically established upon any of the noble Companions. 7. And we clarified the falseness of the claim of those who allege that the Companions unanimously agreed on (performing) twenty rak aat. 8. We also clarified the proof, which necessitates that one act upon the number that is authentically reported in the Sunnah (i.e. eleven rak aat), and those scholars who rejected increasing upon this number. This goes as well for the other points of benefit we mentioned that can rarely be found gathered in one book. All of these points were supported by clear proofs from the authentic Sunnah and the established narrations. This caused the ruthless ones amongst a group of elder blind followers to lash out at us some of them in their sermons and lessons and others in treatises, which they wrote to refute 6 our afore-mentioned treatise. However, all of these treatises were void of beneficial knowledge and of proofs to support their view. Instead they were filled with abuses and insults, as is the custom of the people of falsehood when they direct their words to the truth and its people. So due to this, we don t see any benefit in that we should waste our time replying to them and exposing the errors of their words, since life is too short to be spending time doing that considering their numerous amounts, may Allaah guide them all. However, there is no harm in mentioning one of them, as an example, whom I consider to be the most noble and knowledgeable amongst them. 7 But if knowledge is not accompanied by sincerity and upright manners, the harm it brings for the one who 6 The last of them according to what I am aware of is Muhammad Alee As-Saaboonee in his treatise, which he named The Prophet s Authentic Guidance regarding the Taraaweeh Prayer. Look for a reply to it in the introduction to the fourth volume of my book Silsilat-ul-Ahaadeeth as-saheehah. 7 He is Shaikh Isma eel Al-Ansaaree, an employee at the Bureau of Religious Verdicts in the city of Riyadh. 6

9 possesses it will be greater than its benefit, as the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) indicated in his saying: The example of the one who teaches the people good but forgets it himself is like the example of a lamp that gives light for the people yet burns itself out. 8 This person I have indicated wrote a treatise with the title Authenticating the Hadeeth of the Taraaweeh Prayer being Twenty Rak aat and a Refutation against Al-Albaanee in his Declaring it Weak! In this book, the author has fallen out from the path of the people of knowledge with regard to rebutting arguments with arguments and proofs with proofs. And he has fallen short of being truthful in speech and of being far removed from misleading the people towards the opposite of the truth. So now we will give an example of this, while trying to be brief in our introduction, so we say: 1. Everyone that reads the title of the treatise mentioned above will think that he is referring to the marfoo hadeeth about the twenty rak aat, which is weak according to the unanimous agreement (of the scholars). But if he reads its opening pages it will become clear to him that the author means by it the narration (athar) reported from the path of Yazeed bin Khaseefah from Saa ib bin Yazeed, that he said: They would perform the Night Prayer during Umar s time in the month of Ramadaan with twenty rak aat!! So by this, the reader will come to know that the subject of the book refers to one thing while the title of the book refers to something entirely different! This is a direct form of deception, we ask Allaah to grant us safety and protection. 2. Another example of this is that he fills three pages of his treatise (pg ) defending the afore-mentioned Yazeed bin Khaseefah, trying to establish that he is thiqqah (reliable). The reason for this is so that he can cause the readers who will find that a number of the Imaams have declared him reliable to think that I have contradicted all of them by my declaring him weak! But this is not the case, because I have indeed followed them in their declaration of his reliability, as will be mentioned later. 3. In fact, this author over-passed the limit of deceit and deception with the above towards clear and open lying and opposing the truth, as he said (pg. 15): 8 Reported by At-Tabaraanee and Ad-Diyaa Al-Maqdisee in Al-Mukhtaarah from Jundub with a good chain of narration. Also see Saheeh At-Targheeb (1/56/127) 7

10 Indeed Al-Albaanee claims that he has been declared weak. And this is a clear lie, for in reality I asserted in my treatise (pg. 57) that he was thiqqah (reliable)! The most I said of him was: He is alone in reporting (this narration), which the (other) reliable narrators have not reported. So in this case, his hadeeth are to be rejected if he is opposed by one who is more reliable/trustworthy than him. The narration thus becomes shaadh as has been established in the Science of Mustalah (Hadeeth Terminology). And this narration falls under this category This kind of talk, even if it may be considered belittling one who is reliable according to the scholars, it does not mean that he is da eef (weak) and to be rejected absolutely. Rather, on the contrary of that, it only means that: His hadeeth are to be accepted unrestrictedly unless there is another (more authentic) report that contradicts it. This is what conclusion I came to in the last portion of my words mentioned above, where I said: And this narration falls under this category This is what all of my words, which I indicated before, in my treatise revolved around. But this critic chose to neglect all of that and instead ascribe to me that which I did not say. So Allaah, the Most High, will hold him to account! 4. However, this slander was not enough for this Shaikh, for he even ascribed another lie to me, saying (pg. 22): So it is not proper for the one who abandons the report of Yazeed bin Khaseefah, whom all of the Imaams rely on, to instead accept the report of Eesaa bin Jaariyah as a proof, when Yahyaa bin Ma een declared him weak, as did and The truth is that I did not rely solely and unrestrictedly on the report of Eesaa as proof. Rather, I indicated that it is not to be relied on as proof, and that was when I said (pg. 21): Its chain of narration is hasan (sound) due to what (hadeeth) was mentioned before it. This is since if I were to have relied on it solely as a proof, as the Shaikh fabricates, I would not have said: due to what (hadeeth) was mentioned before it. 8

11 So this statement is a clear indication that this reporter is not from those who is relied on as proof by the one who speaks of him. Rather he is from those whom he considers to be weak and who is only taken from based on supporting witnesses (narrations). And his hadeeth are declared sound (hasan) if there is found a narration that serves as a witness for him. In this case, this supporting witness is present, and it is the hadeeth that I indicated when I said: due to what was mentioned before it, which is the hadeeth of Aa ishah (radyallaahu anhaa) who said: The Messenger of Allaah would not perform more than eleven rak aat (for the night prayer) in Ramadaan or out of it. This hadeeth was reported by the two Shaikhs (Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim) and others. So is the Shaikh so ignorant about the Science of Hadeeth to the level that he doesn t understand the likes of this sentence: Its chain of narration is hasan (sound) due to what was mentioned before it?! This is especially the case since I added further clarification to it when I repeated this hadeeth with another verification (pg ), this time quoting Al-Haythamee as declaring it hasan (sound). And then I followed that up with my comment: It is most likely that its chain of narration is hasan (sound) in my view, and Allaah knows best. Or is it a willful disregard and pure fabricating caused by some malice in his heart? May Allaah have mercy on the one who said: So if I don t know, then this is a calamity And if I know, then the calamity is greater. And what will show the reader that this Shaikh in fact knows (!) is the statement he made after mentioning the hadeeth of Jaabir: Do not use anything from the deceased animal blindly following those who declared this hadeeth hasan: Therefore it is not appropriate for Al-Albaanee to declare a hasan hadeeth weak simply because there exists another path of narration for it which is weak, for this is contrary to what the Imaams of this Science have agreed on. So therefore, when I declared the afore-mentioned hadeeth of Eesaa bin Jaariyah hasan based on the hadeeth of Aa ishah serving as a supporting witness for it, the Shaikh had full knowledge that I did this based on what the Imaams of this Science have agreed on! Due to this, he could not put any blame on me regarding that, so he 9

12 took recourse in fabricating the statement that I relied on him (solely) as proof so as to soothe the rage in his heart, and Allaah will hold him to account! Furthermore, will not the noble reader note along with me the way this Shaikh plays around with the knowledge-based facts, for if it weren t proper for me, as he claims, to declare the hadeeth of Jaabir weak because, as he claims, there is another path for it which is weak, as he himself admits, even if it does come by way of blind-following. So I must ask, is it then proper for him to declare weak the other afore-mentioned hadeeth of Jaabir 9 regarding the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) praying Taraaweeh with eleven rak aat (?), when it has an authentic supporting witness in the hadeeth of Aa ishah (radyallaahu anhaa), found in the two Saheehs, which he can see in these two collections for himself?!! Does this not mean that this Shaikh is playing games with double standards!? We ask Allaah for His Help, and there is no might nor power except by Allaah s Leave!! I will add to this now, in order to clarify one of the facts that Shaikh Isma eel Al- Ansaaree, may Allaah guide him, fails to see: I said before as he claims only to point out that this path (of narration) which he quotes from some that it is hasan and for which he noted that I weakened, when in fact he himself holds that there is ananah between Abuz-Zubair and Jaabir it is exactly the same other path (of narrators) due to which the first hadeeth becomes strengthened by, for its extent reaches as far as only Abuz-Zubair only, as is stated in Nasab ar-raayah (1/122). So does the Shaikh s knowledge hold that from what the Imaams of this Science have agreed on is that it is permissible to strengthen a weak hadeeth based on itself and not by one similar to it?! Or is he just following his desires and attempting to support certain Shaikhs even if it is in opposition to the truth!? Or is he just blind following the example ash-shawkaanee sets in Nayl-ul-Awtaar, which excels in quoting and gathering ahaadeeth, yet lacks proper verification and research in explaining these ahaadeeth?!! However, this does not prevent me by Allaah s blessing and success from stating here that later on I found a strong supporting witness to this hadeeth of Jaabir, and with its (same) wording, in the narration of Ibn Ukaym (radyallaahu anhu). I did not 9 Translator s Note: He means the one he spoke of previously which contains the narrator Eesaa bin Jaariyah. 10

13 find anyone before me who mentioned it or indicated it. In my opinion, its chain of narration is authentic, as you will see explained in my book Irwaa-ul-Ghaleel (1/78): So if Shaikh Al-Ansaaree really wanted to display knowledge, advice and counseling, he would not have erred by making one path of narration into two paths. And he should have been so kind as to direct us to this supporting witness, which serves as evidence. But the matter is as is commonly said: One who doesn t have something cannot give it. For indeed I saw him mention in his reply (pg. 48) that the hadeeth of Ibn Ukaym was reported by ad-daraqutnee and that its meaning and the meaning of the hadeeth of Jaabir were one and the same! And with this, by Allaah, I don t know nor do I think that he knows why he only specifically mentioned ad-daaraqutnee as reporting this hadeeth apart from all the rest of the compilers of the Sunan, even though his wording and their wording of the hadeeth is one: Do not use any part of the deceased animal neither the skin nor the interior. And his claim that it bears the same understanding as the hadeeth of Jaabir is not acceptable because this hadeeth is more specific than it, as is quite apparent. So he has missed out on the wording, which is, word for word, in accordance with the wording in the hadeeth of Jaabir. So all praise be to Allaah who guided me, even if it was after a long time, to it (i.e. the supporting hadeeth). And no one censured me due to my previous unawareness of it, and if someone did, then we ask Allaah for His pardon and forgiveness in this life and the next. 5. But the Shaikh did not stop short with the afore-mentioned fabrications on me, for he went on to attribute to me (pg. 41) that I claim the Salaf were ignorant! Glory be to You Allaah, this is a tremendous slander! The truth is that I did not commit any sin according to the Shaikh and his likes from the blind followers and malice-ridden individuals other than that I call to the following of the Salaf as-saalih (Pious Predecessors) and to the adherence of their madh-hab (way), and not the madh-hab of specific individuals amongst them. This is what drove the Shaikh to take this position of argumentation and rancor against me, conforming to the blind-follower crowd who do not know anything from the Religion except for what they found their fathers and grandfathers practicing, except for those whom Allaah protected, and how few they are. 11

14 And from what I find strange about this Shaikh is that he went over all of these points that I indicated previously, asserting their correctness and I have no doubt that he agrees with me in some of them to say the least or most of them yet he did not state clearly his position with regard to them. For example, there is our statement: Affirming the authenticity of the athar 10 does not necessitate that we are to abandon acting upon the other report which is in accordance with the hadeeth of Aa ishah that: The Prophet would not perform more than eleven rak aat (for the night prayer) in Ramadaan or out of it. Is it better to act upon his (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) Sunnah or to act upon what the people did during the time of Umar, assuming that it is authentically reported that they did that?! The Shaikh did not state clearly his position in that regard because if he were to incline towards what opposes the Sunnah, his condition would be exposed to Ahlus-Sunnah. And if he were to incline towards the Sunnah, he would then have to agree with Al- Albaanee! This is one of the things he did not allow himself to do for some reason or for many reasons, which are not hidden from the sensible reader! So this is an example of one of the replies we examined out of the several refutations we received against our treatise Salaat at-taraaweeh, which we consider one of the most exemplary of refutations. But in spite of this, we have made the reader aware of some excerpts from it, which clearly show a lack of fairness and remoteness from following the way of the scholars, who do not seek anything except to clarify the truth. And if this author is from the most noble and knowledgeable of those who replied (to my treatise), then what by Allaah can we say about the others who replied who do not have any knowledge or good manners?! So therefore, a long time passed by since the printing of our afore-mentioned treatise Salaat at-taraaweeh, and there existed a need for it to be reprinted. But In spite of this, the objectives and aims of this book were actualized and achieved, the most important of which was to direct the people to what the Sunnah was with regard to the Night Prayer (Taraaweeh), and to refute all of those who oppose it. This was such that this Sunnah spread throughout many of the masaajid of Syria, Jordan and other Muslim lands. All praise be to Allaah by whose Bounty all good deeds come to pass. 10 Translator s Note: An athar (lit. narration/report) is generally reserved for a narration reported from a Companion or a Taabi ee as his saying. The athar he is referring to here is the narration from Saa ib bin Yazeed that: During the time (Khilaafah) of Umar bin Al-Khattaab, the people would pray twenty rak aat during the month of Ramadaan. 12

15 Due to this, I felt there was a need to abridge that treatise in a purely educational format without presenting refutations of anyone in it, according to the well known saying: Say your word and then walk away. I summarized all of the points of benefit that were found in the original source (i.e. the book Salaat at-taraaweeh), while adding other points to it in order to complete the benefit. I ask Allaah to benefit the people with it as He benefited them with its previous edition. And I ask that He reward me for it, verily, He is the Most Generous of those who are asked. 13

16 THE NIGHT PRAYER IN RAMADAAN The Virtue of Performing the Night Prayer in Ramadaan: 1. It has been reported in two hadeeths, the first of which is from Abu Hurairah, that he said: Allaah s Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) would incite (them) to perform the Night Prayer in Ramadaan, without definitively commanding them. Then he (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) would say: Whoever performs the Night Prayer in Ramadaan with firm Faith and hoping to be rewarded, his past (minor) sins will be forgiven. So Allaah s Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) passed away and the matter remained in that condition. 11 Then this condition continued during the Khilaafah of Abu Bakr (radyallaahu anhu) and a portion of the Khilaafah of Umar (radyallaahu anhu). 12 The second hadeeth is that of Amr bin Murrah al-juhanee, who said: A man from Qudaa ah came to Allaah s Messenger and said to him: O Messenger of Allaah, what do you say if I testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allaah and that you are the Messenger of Allaah, and if I were to pray the five daily prayers and fast and pray the night prayers during the month of Ramadaan, and give the Zakaat? The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said: Whoever dies upon this state, will be amongst the siddeeqeen 13 and the martyrs Meaning that of not holding a congregational prayer for Taraaweeh. 12 Reported by Muslim and others and it is also found in Al-Bukhaaree with the marfoo statement from the Prophet. It has been related with all its transmissions in Irwaa-ul-Ghaleel (4/14/906) and in Saheeh Abu Dawood (1241). May Allaah make easy for me the ability to complete and publish it. Brother Zuhair said in his comments to my treatise The two Eid Prayers (pg. 32), which was reprinted in 1404H: Allaah facilitated the publishing of the first volume of Saheeh Abu Dawood of our teacher Al- Albaanee. But I don t know, by Allaah, how this could be when I still have the first volume and I did not allow anyone to make a copy of it, let alone print and distribute it! Similar to this is what he stated in the fourth printing of my book At-Tawassul in 1403H (pg. 22) that the third volume of Silsilat-ul- Ahaadeeth ad-da eefah was published, when up to this date (Rajab of 1406H) it has not yet been published! 13 Translator s Note: Siddeeq is a title given to those who were the first to believe in the Prophets and bear witness to truth during times of hardships. 14

17 The Night of Al-Qadar and Its Fixed Time: 2. The best night in Ramadaan is the Night of Al-Qadr, based on the Prophet's saying: "Whoever performs the night prayer on the Night of Al-Qadr [and is then granted it] with firm faith and hoping to be rewarded, his past sins will be forgiven." It is on the twenty-seventh night of Ramadaan according to the strongest opinion. A majority of the ahaadeeth comply with this, including the hadeeth of Zurr bin Hubaysh who said: "I heard Ubay bin Ka'ab (radyallaahu anhu) say when it was said to him that 'Abdullaah bin Mas'ood (radyallaahu anhu) said "Whoever performs the night prayer (every night) throughout the year will achieve the Night of Al-Qadr." He (Ubay bin Ka'ab) said: "May Allaah have mercy on him, his intention was that the people not (grow lazy) and depend solely (on just one night). By the One of whom there is no deity worthy of worship beside Him, it is indeed in Ramadaan. And by Allaah I know on which night it is. It is on the night that Allaah's Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) commanded us to perform the Night Prayer. It is on the twentyseventh night. Its sign is that the sun rises on its following morning bright with no rays." In one report this is raised to being a saying of the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) Reported by Ibn Khuzaimah and Ibn Hibbaan in their Saheeh collections, as well as others, with an authentic chain of narration. See my comments to Ibn Khuzaimah (3/340/2262) and Saheeh At- Targheeb (1/419/993) 15 Reported by Al-Bukhaaree, Muslim and others from the narration of Abu Hurairah (radyallaahu anhu) and by Ahmad (5/318) from the narration of 'Ubaadah bin As-Saamit (radyallaahu anhu). The addition to it in [...] belongs to him and to Muslim from Abu Hurairah. Important Note: In the first printing of this book, I used to mention another addition to the last part of this hadeeth, with the wording: and his future sins basing this grading on the authentication of Al-Mundhiree and Al- Asqalaanee for it. Then Allaah enabled me to thoroughly investigate the paths of this hadeeth and its reports from Abu Hurairah and Ubaadah, which I did not find anyone else do. So it became clear to me that this addition and his future sins is shaadh (irregular, i.e. weak) from Abu Hurairah and munkar (rejected) from Ubaadah. So I came to the conclusion that those who declared the report of Abu Hurairah hasan and the report from Ubaadah saheeh, then this was based on their position regarding the apparent narrators of the chain along with a lack of investigating the reports. I confirmed this in a very lengthy discussion, which I placed in Silsilat-ul-Ahaadeeth ad-da eefah (no. 5083). This is why I didn t cite this addition to the hadeeth of Abu Hurairah when I mentioned it in Saheeh at-targheeb wat- Tarheeb (982), nor did I mention the hadeeth of Ubaadah with it, contrary to the original form of At- Targheeb. And Allaah, the Most Exalted, is the One who grants success. 16 Reported by Muslim and others and it is referenced in Saheeh Abee Dawood (1247) 15

18 The Legality of Performing the Night Prayer in Congregation: 4. Performing the Night Prayer in congregation is legislated in the Religion. In fact this is better than praying it individually due to the Prophet s establishing it himself and due to his explaining its virtue in his saying, as is found in the hadeeth of Abu Dharr (radyallaahu anhu) who said: We fasted Ramadaan with Allaah s Messenger, but he did not lead us in (congregation) in the Night Prayer during any month until there only remained seven days, so then he lead us in Night Prayer until a third of the night had passed away. When the sixth night came, he did not lead us in the Night Prayer. Then when the fifth night (i.e. 25 th night) came, he lead us in prayer until half the night had passed. So I said: O Messenger of Allaah! Can we finish the rest of the night praying? So he said: Indeed when a man prays with the Imaam until he finishes, it is recorded for him that he prayed the entire night. Then on the fourth night, he didn t establish the night prayer (in congregagtion). On the third night (i.e. the 27 th night), 17 he (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) gathered his family, his wives and the people and lead us in the night prayer until we feared that we would miss the falaah (success). I said: What is the falaah? He (Abu Dharr) said: The Suhoor (pre-dawn meal). Then he did not lead us in the night prayer for the rest of the month. 18 The Reason why the Prophet did not continue performing the Night Prayer in Congregation: 5. The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) only discontinued establishing Taraaweeh in Congregation for the remainder of the month out of fear that the Night Prayer would be made obligatory upon them in the month of Ramadaan, and thus they would not be able to do it. This is stated in the hadeeth of Aa ishah which is found in the two Saheehs and other collections. 19 But this fear came to an end with his 17 He means by this the 27 th night of Ramadaan, which is the Night of Al-Qadar, according to the most correct view, as has been stated previously. This is why on this night the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) gathered his family and wives. So there is proof in this that it is recommended for the women to attend the congregation on this night. 18 An authentic hadeeth reported by all the compilers of the Sunan and others. It is referenced and verified in (my book) Salaat-ut-Taraaweeh (pg ), Saheeh Abee Dawood (1245) and Irwaa-ul- Ghaleel (447). 19 See its wording and referencing in my book Salaat-ut-Taraaweeh (pg ) 16

19 (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) death, after Allaah had completed the Laws of Islaam. And because of this, the effect caused by this fear, which was abandoning performing the Night Prayer in congregation during Ramadaan, also came to an end. And its former ruling remained, which is the legality of praying it in congregation. This is why Umar (radyallaahu anhu) revived it later, as is reported in Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree and other collections. 20 The Legality of Women performing the Night Prayer in Congregation: 6. It is legislated for women to attend the congregational Night Prayer, as has been mentioned in the previous hadeeth of Abu Dharr. In fact, it is permissible to place a specific Imaam for them to lead them in prayer apart from the Imaam who leads the men. This is since it is authentically reported that when Umar (radyallaahu anhu) gathered the people for the Night Prayer, he placed Ubay bin Ka ab to lead the men and Sulaymaan bin Abee Hathma to lead the women. Arfajah ath-thaqafee reported: Alee bin Abee Taalib (radyallaahu anhu) would order the people to establish the Night Prayer in the month of Ramadaan. And he would place an Imaam for the men and another Imaam for the women. I used to be the Imaam for the women. 21 In my opinion, this applies only if the masjid is wide and ample enough such that one group will not disturb the other. The Number of Rak aat in the Night Prayer: 7. The number of rak aat for the Night Prayer is eleven, and we prefer that this number not be increased or added to, following the example of Allaah s Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam), for indeed he did not go beyond this number until he parted from this world. Aa ishah (radyallaahu anhaa) was asked about the Prophet s night prayer during Ramadaan. She replied saying: Allaah s Messenger would not perform more than eleven rak aat (for the night prayer) in Ramadaan or out of it. He would pray four rak aat, but do not ask about how fine or long they were. Then he would pray another four rak aat, but 20 See its referencing and Ibn Abdil-Barr and other s words on it in the book Salaat-ut-Taraaweeh (pg ) 21 This hadeeth and the one before it have been reported by Al-Bayhaqee (2/494). The first one of the two was also reported by Abdur-Razzaaq in Al-Musannaf (4/258/8722). Ibn Nasr also reported both hadeeths in Qiyaam Ramadaan (pg. 93) and then used them as evidence for what we stated (pg. 95) 17

20 do not ask about how fine or long they were. Then he would pray three rak aat One may subtract from this number even to the point where he lowers it to just one rak aat for Witr. This is based on evidence found in the Prophet s action and statement: As for his action, Aa ishah was asked concerning how many rak aat Allaah s Messenger would perform for Witr, so she replied: He would perform Witr with four rak aat 23 and then three, with six rak aat and then three, and with ten rak aat and then three. He would not perform Witr with less than seven rak aat or with more than thirteen rak aat. 24 As for his statement, then it is his (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) saying: Witr is true. So whoever wishes then let him perform Witr with five rak aat. And whoever wishes then let him perform Witr with three rak aat. And whoever wishes then let him perform Witr with one rak ah. 25 Reciting the Qur aan in Night Prayer: 9. As for reciting the Qur aan during the Night Prayer in Ramadaan or outside of it, then the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) did not set any limit for it, by which one can go beyond or below it. On the contrary, his recitation in the Night Prayer would vary either being long or short. So sometimes he would recite the length of Surah Muzammal, which is twenty ayaat, in every rak ah. And at other times, he would recite the length of fifty rak aat. And he would say: 22 Reported by Al-Bukhaaree, Muslim and others, and it has been referenced in Salaat at-taraaweeh (20-21) and Saheeh Abee Dawood (1212). 23 I say: This includes the two sunnah (supererogatory) rak aat performed after Ishaa or the two short rak aat the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) used to begin his Night Prayer with. This is based on Al-Haafidh Ibn Hajr s opinion. See Salaat-ut-Taraaweeh (pg ) 24 Reported by Abu Dawood, Ahmad and others. Its chain of narration is good and Al- Iraaqee declared it authentic (saheeh). I have referenced it in Salaat-ut-Taraaweeh (pg ) and in Saheeh Abee Dawood (1233). 25 Reported by At-Tahaawee, Al-Haakim and others. Its chain of narration is authentic, as has been stated by a group of scholars. It has a supporting evidence (hadeeth), which has a rejected addition to it, as I explained in Salaat-ut-Taraaweeh (pg ). 18

21 Whoever prays in a night reciting one hundred verses, he will not be recorded as being from the heedless. And in another hadeeth it states: Whoever prays in a night reciting two hundred verses, he will be recorded as being from the righteous and sincere. One night when the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) was sick he recited the seven long surahs, which are: Al-Baqarah, Aali Imraan, An-Nisaa, Al-Maa idah, Al- An aam, Al-A raaf and At-Tawbah. And in the story of Hudhaifah bin al-yamaan when he performed the Night Prayer behind the Prophet, he (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) recited in one rak ah: Al- Baqarah, then An-Nisaa and then Aali Imraan. And he would recite them in a slow and flowing tone. 26 And it is reported with the most authentic chain of narration, that when Umar ordered Ubay bin Ka ab to lead the people in prayer with eleven rak aat during Ramadaan, Ubay would recite hundreds of verses to the point that those behind him would have to lean on staffs to support themselves due to the length of standing. And they would not finish until the opening moments of Fajr. 27 it is also authentically reported on Umar that he called the reciters during Ramadaan and commanded the one fastest in reciting to recite thirty ayaat, the one moderate in reciting to recite twenty-five ayaat and the one slowest in reciting to recite twenty ayaat. 28 So based on this, if one performs the Night Prayer alone then he may prolong it for as long as he wishes. And this also applies if there is someone praying along with him who agrees to this. Every time one prolongs the prayer it is more virtuous, however one should not exaggerate in prolonging the prayer such that he spends the whole night awake, except on special occasions, following the way of the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam), the one who said: 26 All of these ahaadeeth are authentic and referenced in Sifat as-salaat (pg ). 27 A similar narration to this has been reported by Maalik. See Salaat-ut-Taraaweeh (pg. 52). 28 See it s referencing in the afore-mentioned source (pg. 71). Abdur-Razzaaq also reported it in Al- Musannaf (4/261/497) as did Al-Bayhaqee (2/497). 19

22 The best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad. 29 In the case where he is the Imaam leading the prayer, then he should prolong it only to the extent that it will not cause difficulty for those praying behind him. This is based on the Prophet s statement: When one of you leads the people in prayer, he should be light (i.e. shorten) the prayer, for amongst them is the [youth] and the elder, and amongst them is the weak one, [the sick one] [and one who has needs to fulfill]. And if he prays alone, then he may prolong his prayer as long as he wants. 30 The Time of the Night Prayer: 10. The time for the Night Prayer is from the time after the Ishaa Prayer up until the time for Fajr. This is based on the Prophet s saying: Verily, Allaah has added a prayer for you, and it is Witr. 31 So pray it between the Ishaa Prayer up to the Fajr Prayer Praying in the last part of the night is better for anyone that has the ability to do it, based on the Prophet s saying: Whoever fears that he will not be able to get up for the Night Prayer in the last part of the night, then let him pray in the first part of it. And whoever desires to pray in the last part of it, then let him perform the Witr in the last part of the night, for indeed praying in the last part of the night is witnessed (by the angels), and that is better If someone is faced with the choice of praying the first part of the night along with the congregation and praying the last part of the night alone, then praying with the congregation is better. This since it will be recorded for him as having prayed the 29 This is a portion of a hadeeth reported by Muslim, An-Nasaa ee and others. I have referenced it in Ahkaam-ul-Janaa iz (pg. 18) and Al-Irwaa (608). 30 Reported by Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim. The wording and the addition here are from Muslim. I have referenced it in Al-Irwaa (512) and Saheeh Abee Dawood (759 and 760). 31 The whole night prayer is called Witr because the number of rak aat performed in it is Witr, i.e. an odd number. 32 An authentic hadeeth reported by Ahmad and others from Abu Basrah. I have referenced it in As- Saheehah (108) and Al-Irwaa (2/158). 33 Reported by Muslim and others. I have referenced it in As-Saheehah (2610). 20

23 entire night, as we stated in Point 4 in the hadeeth raised to a saying of the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam). The Companions continued to act on this practice during the time of Umar (radyallaahu anhu). Abdur-Rahmaan bin Abdin al-qaaree related: I went out with Umar Ibn al-khattaab one night during Ramadaan to the masjid, when we came upon a crowd of people that were all divided and spread out. One man was praying by himself while another man was praying with a small band of people behind him. So he ( Umar) said: By Allaah, I think that if I were to gather these people under one reciter, that would be more ideal. Then he became set on this and gathered the people under Ubay bin Ka ab. Later on, I went out with him another night and the people were praying behind one reciter. So Umar (radyallaahu anhu) said: What an excellent innovation this is. But that time which they sleep in is better than the time they are praying in now. meaning the last part of the night. And the people would perform the Night Prayer during the first part of the night. 34 Zayd bin Wahb said: Abdullaah would lead us in prayer during the month of Ramadaan, and then stop by nighttime. 35 The Manners of Performing the Night Prayer: 13. I spoke in detail about this subject in my book Salaat-ut-Taraaweeh (pg ), so I felt that I should abridge that discussion here in order to make it easy for the reader and to remind him: The First Manner: consists of thirteen rak'aat, which is commenced with two short rak'aat. According to the most correct opinion, these are the two rak'aat of Sunnah prayer offered after 'Ishaa, or they are two specific rak'aat by which one begins the Night Prayer, as has been stated previously. Then one prays two very long rak'aat (after that).then two more rak'aat are prayed, and then another two rak'aat are prayed. Then two more rak'aat are prayed and another set of two rak'aat are prayed. Then witr is made with one rak'ah. 34 Reported by Al-Bukhaaree and others. I have referenced it in Salaat-ut-Taraaweeh (pg. 48) 35 Reported by Abdur-Razzaaq (7741) with an authentic chain of narration. Imaam Ahmad indicated this narration and the one before it when he was asked: Should the Night Prayer (Qiyaam), i.e. Taraaweeh be delayed until the last part of the night? He replied: No, the Sunnah (practice) of the Muslims is more beloved to me. Abu Dawood reported this in his Masaa il (pg. 62). 21

24 The Second Manner: consists of thirteen rak'aat. There are eight rak'aat within them, in which one makes tasleem after every two rak'aat. Then witr is made with five rak'aat and one does not sit nor make the tasleem except in the fifth rak'ah. The Third Manner: consists of eleven rak'aat, in which one makes tasleem after every two rak'aat and then prays witr at the end with one rak'ah. The Fourth Manner: consists of eleven rak'aat, in which one prays four rak'aat and makes one tasleem after the four. The he prays another four in a similar manner and ends it with three rak'aat (for witr). Would the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) remain in the sitting position after every two rak'aat, when praying a unit of four rak'aat or a unit of three rak'aat? We do not find a clear answer for this, but remaining in the sitting position (for tashahhud) while doing a unit of three rak'aat is not legislated (in the Religion)! The Fifth Manner: consists of eleven rak'aat, in which one prays eight rak'aat and does not sit in any of them except for the eighth rak'ah. While sitting (in the eighth rak'ah), he makes the tashahhud and sends Salaat on the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) and then stands up again without making the tasleem. Then he makes witr with one rak'ah and when finished, he makes the tasleem. This consists of nine rak'aat. Then he prays two rak'aat after that while in the sitting position. The Sixth Manner: One prays nine rak'aat, in which he does not sit except after the sixth rak'ah. Then he makes the tashahhud and sends Salaat on the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) and then stands again without making the tasleem. Then he makes witr with three rak'aat and when finished, he makes the tasleem, etc. (the rest is the same as the previous manner) These are the manners in which it is reported that the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) performed the Night Prayer. It is possible to add other types of manners to it, by subtracting what one wishes from each set of rak'aat until he cuts it down to one rak'ah, acting on the previously mentioned hadeeth of Allaah's Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam): "So whoever wishes, then let him pray witr with five rak'aat, and whoever wishes, then let him pray witr with three rak'aat, and whoever wishes, then let him pray witr with one rak'ah." See point Number Eight. 22

25 So if one wants, he can pray these five rak'aat or three rak'aat with one sitting and one tasleem, as is stated in the Second Manner. And if he wants, he can make tasleem after every two rak'aat, as is stated in the Third Manner, and this is preferred. 37 As for praying the set of five rak'aat or three rak'aat by sitting after every two rak'aat and not making the tasleem, then we did not find any authentic report that the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) used to do this. The asl (foundation) is that it is permissible, however the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) forbade us from praying witr with three rak'aat indicating the reason for that by saying: "And do not liken it to the Maghrib prayer." 38 Therefore anyone that prays witr with three rak'aat must not liken it to the Maghrib prayer. This can be done in two ways: 1. Making the tasleem between the even and odd number rak'ah (i.e. between the second and the third rak'ah). This is what is more strong and preferred. 2. One does not sit between the even and odd number (i.e. he prays three rak'aat straight with one tasleem), and Allaah knows best. The Recitation during the Three Rak aat of Witr: 14. Regarding the three rak aat of Witr, it is from the Sunnah to recite in the first rak ah: Surah Al-A laa, in the second rak ah: Surah Al-Kaafiroon, and in the third rak ah: Surah Al-Ikhlaas. Sometimes he (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) would add surahs Al-Falaq and An-Naas to the third rak ah. It is authentically reported on him (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) that one time he recited one hundred verses from Surah An-Nisaa for the rak ah of Witr. 39 The Qunoot Supplication and its Place: 37 An Important Point of Benefit: After mentioning the hadeeth of Aa ishah and other narrations regarding the different manners of performing the Night Prayer, Ibn Khuzaimah said in his Saheeh (2/194): Therefore it is permissible for a man to pray any number of rak aat he wishes for the (night) prayer, according to what has been reported on the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) that he did, as well as in the manner that it has been reported that he did them. No one is prohibited from doing any of this. This statement, according to what is understood from it, is completely in agreement with the opinion we have preferred of sticking to the number that has been authentically reported on the Prophet and not adding to it. So all praise be to Allaah for granting this and I ask Him to continue increasing (us) in His Blessings. 38 Reported by At-Tahaawee, Ad-Daraqutnee and others. See At-Taraaweeh (pg. 99 & 110) 39 Reported by An-Nasaa ee and Ahmad with an authentic chain of narration. 23